Obama mentions former Battle Ground resident in speech

On Friday, Tess Darrow got a shout-out from U.S. President Barack Obama.

While standing in front of more than a thousand people at Nike headquarters near Beaverton, Ore., Obama spoke of Egg Press, Darrow’s Portland-based greeting card company.

“Really nice,” Obama said of the company.

“Their CEO Tess Darrow,” the President said. “Where’s Tess? Raise your hand. I saw her. There she is.”

The President was in town to promote the Pacific Rim trade agreement and noted Darrow would benefit from such a deal.

Darrow spoke briefly to the president before the event and had chatted with his staff leading up to his arrival.

Meeting him, she said, was one of those “unbelievable times in one’s life.”

But she didn’t know she would also be part of his speech.

“I had no idea that was coming,” she said.

Overall, it was a pretty good day for Darrow, who grew up in Battle Ground and now has about 20 employees who work for her at Egg Press.

And she said, if the trade agreement is approved, it would likely lead to more business for her — and presumably more good days.